Device for automatically feeding bookcases to blocking presses



Feb. 25, 1930. 1,748,848

DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY FEEIDINGIBOOKCASES TO BLOCKING PRESSES .J. MURRAY Filed July 1, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 25, 1930.

J. MURRAY 1,748,848

DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY FEEDING BOOKCASES T0 BLOCKING PRESSES Filed July 1, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Fig.2.

' /NVEN roe. JOHN Mute/1r Patented Feb. '25, 1930 ,UNITEDQSTATES PATET me,

. JOHN MURRAY, or crIoBHAM, EN LAND" DEVICE ronAU'roMArioALtY FEEDING BOOKOASES 'ro BLocKmernEssns Application'filed July 1; 1929, Serial No. 37531 1, and in Great Britain July 2, 1928.

This invention relates to devices for automatically feeding book cases or book covers object to provide improved means for e fiect ing positive registration of the case in rela-. tion to the impressing surfaces of the mar chine.

In the feeding mechanism hitherto em ployed the case. was brought into register by layin the outside edges of'thecase to guides. This mode of operation does not effectreliable register, and slight variation of the register occurs due to the flexibility of the back of the case or inequalities ion the outer edges of the case.

In accordance w th the present invention.

the register is improved and the blocking or like operation facilitated ,by registerlng the cases by means of a guide or guides engage- 7 is performed by the aforesaid guidelwhich projects above the surface on which the cases are supported by an amount approximately .The guide extends from the magazine to.

the blockingstationand moves inunison with the pusher system, the arrangement being towards'blocking position in the forward motion of the pusher system, the guide, in the rearward motion ofvthe pusher system, movmovementof which is prevented ,by stops'or the like. Conveniently, the. guide is constituted of separable sections detachably secured to a bar or the like connected' t'o the pusher system. The guide is of a width equal to the distance between the inner edges of the boards of the case and in thickness is equalto the thickness of the boards minus the thickness of thecloth andback lining.

there are provided hold down wiresmovable able with theinside edges of the'boards at.

a magazine by:

equal to the thickness of the boards of the.

cases under treatment so as to projectinto' 7 cases 2 stepwise from the magazine towards such that the cases are advanced step by step ing difierenti'ally of the'cases retrograde In conjunction'with the aforesaid guide with the guide and located in spaced grooves cut 1n the upper surface of the guide, said to a blocking press or the, like and has forit's; Twiresbeing adapted to engage the back lining of the case between the boards and'the back strip, the wires serving to depress the back lining'int'o said grooves so as to ensure intimate engagement between the guide and the inner edges of the case. I

The magazine, pusher system, and registering and other devices are carried by a stationary' structure to which'is attached a table mentary section-on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

-F.ig. A; is a perspective View of a book cover looking on the inside surface thereof;

' The device shown includes a magazine space of which opposed side boundaries are. defined between spaced vertically disposed bars l andofwhich one end boundary is defined by'a pairof vertically disposed'bars' 1.

The magazine is adapted to be charged with I a' pile of bookcases 2 each of which is tobe subjected to a blocking operation in a block ing press indicated, generally at 3, remote; from the .magazine. The magazine sur mounts a pusher] system adapted to feed the gaging sli'deways. 12 formed in the inner faces of horizontal. channelled barslS extending longitudinally of the device. and" constituting the. main framing thereof. Intermediate the shafts 9, 10 carried by a pair of slides ll'cn- Pivots Gand the faQes 5 'thep l are P otally connected at 14 to the upper ,ends of the bolts15 vertically movable in apertures in the members 8 whereby the pushers may be rocked on their pivots 6 so as to permit regulation of the height of the operative faces 5 thereof to suit the thickness of case being operated upon. The rear ends of the pushers engage adjustable stops constituted by setscrews 16 carried by the members 8 and adapted to be located in adjusted position by set-screws 17 opposed thereto.

Means for effecting vertical adjustment of the pushers comprises two pairs of links 18 disposed longitudinally of the device, each pair being located beneath a pusher and pivotally connected at 19 to depending lever arms 20, 21 secured to shafts 22, 23 journalle d in brackets 24, 25 secured to the undersides of the bars 13. Secured to one end of the shaft 22 is a lever arm 26 to which is pivotally connected at 27 a link 28 shiftable manually to rockthe lever arms 20, 21 whereby to raise or lower the links 18. The lower end portion of each bolt 15 passes between the relative pair of links 18 and carries rollers 29- engaging 'the lower edges of said links, the arrangement being such that the pushers 4 are constrained to participate in the rising and falling movements of the links 18 and, in the reciprocating movements of the pushers, the rollers 29 roll along the lower edges of the links 18. In their reciprocation, the pushers are guided between pairs of stationary bars 30 which, in conjunction with stationary bars 31 spaced from and parallel thereto, present co-planar horizontal upper faces on which rest the cases 2 during their transference from the magazine to the blocking press. Disposed intermediate the pushers 4 is a bar 32 of dovetail cross-section guided to perform reciprocatory movements in unison with the pushers 4, being. secured at one end at 33 to thetransverse shafts 9, 10. Detachably fitted to the upper face of the bar 32 are guide plates 34, 35, 36 provided with pins 37 engageable with keyhole slots 38 formed in the bar. The guide plates are of a width and thickness such that their lateral edges 39 are engageable with the spaced inner edges 40 of a case 2 (Fig. 4)- the cases being charged into the magazine inside face downwardly. The guide plate 34, which in its reciprocatory movements passes beneath the magazine, has lateral edges 41 taperin g away from the adjacent guide plate 35 so that, in arearward stroke of the moving system, said plate engages wedgewise the edges 40 of the lowermost case 2 in the magazine and brings said case into register with the guide plate. Formed in the upper faces of the guide plates 35 and 36, adjacent to the lateral edges thereof, are spaced parallel grooves 42 in each of which is located a wire 43. The ends of the wires adjacent to the magazine are trained under pulleys 44 journalled on arms 45 pivoted at 46 to brackets 47 slidably mounted on transverse shafts 48, 49

K sustained between spaced brackets 50 attached ing anchored to set-screws carried by the brackets 47 and. serving as tensioningscrews for the wires 43. Pivotally attached at 56' to the arms 45 are bolts 57 slidable in lugs 58 integral with the brackets 47. 59 denotes helical compression springs surrounding the bolts 57 and urging them and therewith the arms 45 and the pulleys 44 forwardly whereby to maintain the wires 43 in intimate engagement with the grooves 42. Pivoted to the upper ends of the bolts 57 are cams 60 provided with finger knobs 61 and engaging the upper faces of the lugs 58, said cams being operable to raise the bolts 57 and therewith the pulleys 44 and the wires 43. The brackets 47 carry nuts engaging right and lefthand screw-threaded portions on a spindle 62 journalled' but axially immovable in the brackets 50. By rotation of the spindle 62 in. one or other direction. the brackets 4.7"a-nd therewiththe wires 43 may be caused to approach, or to recede from one another. The opposite ends of the wires 43 are associated with anchoring means similar to that :described, similar reference characters having been used to indicate corresponding parts. The brackets 50 which sustain the wire anchoring means 4462 remote from the magazine, are attached to the bars 52 at points .beyond the channelled bars 13'. Secured to the inner faces of the bars 52. at the ends adjacent to the magazine are nut-forming lugs 63 penetratedby screws 64v revolubly mounted but axially immovable in. the slides 11 and carrying worm wheels 65 meshing with worms 66' carried by a shaft 67ournalled in the slides 11. By rotation: of the shaft 67 in one or other direction the slides 11 and therewith the pushers 4 may be moved to effect adjustment of the pushers to suit book cases of varying sizes; Themagazine bars 1 are secured to shafts 68 adjustably mounted in brackets 69 secured to the channeled bars 13,. the distance between said bars being regulatable to suit different sizes of book. cases. The magazine bars 1. carry racks 70 meshing with gear pinions 71 secured to a shaft 72 journalled in the brackets 6, 9, the racks 70 being slidable in vertical guides 73 carried by transverse shaft-s 7.3, 73 also sustained by the brackets 69. Secured to one end of the shaft 72 is a toothed segment 74 meshing with a worm 75 carried by a shaft 76 journalled in the adjacent bracket 69, the arrangement being such that rotation of the shaft 76 in one or other direction permits regulation of the height of the bars 1 to suit different thicknesses'of book cases. Pivoted at 78 to members 79 located between the stationary bars 30, 31 are two adjustable stops presenting operative faces 81 engageable,in the rearward stroke of the movmg system, w th the trailing edges of the book cases whereby system the ends 87 of links 88 pivotally at-.

tached at 89 to the transverse shaft 48 adjacent to the magazine are pivotally connected to any convenient form of driving means.

In the reciprocating movements of the moving system the guide plates 35, 36 pass between the halves 90 of'a table secured to the bars 13' beneath the moving head 3" of the blocking press 3. Detachably secured to the upper faces of the table halves 90 are two-plates 91 to the upper surfaces of whlch are attached strawboard impression beds 92 the ends of which arebevelled at- 93r The plates 91 are attached to bars 94 provided with conical pointed set-screw 95 engage able with V-shaped grooves 96 formed in the end faces of the halves 90 of the table. The arrangement permits easy assembly and disas'sembly of the plates with provision for easy lateral adjustment of the plates. 97' denotes the impression stamp attached'to the moving head 3 of the blocking press. 98 denotes a guide carried by the head 3 and adjustable by rotation of screws 99. 100 de notes stops carried by a shaft 101 journal-led in brackets 102 secured to the bars 18. An arm 103 carried by the shaft 101 is springurged in the direction to maintain the stops 100 in substantially. vertical position, in which position the'upper ends of the stops project above the level of the impression beds 92. 104 denotes a pair of arms pivoted to a rod 105 carried by a second pairof arms 106 sustained by the bars 1; The forward terminal ends 107 of the arms 104 constitute stops'engageable with the trailing edges of the book cases.

In operation, in the initial rearward stroke of the moving system the guide plate 34 passes beneath the magazine whereby the tapering lateral edges 41' thereof. engage wedgewise the edges 40 ofthe lowermost book case 2 in the magazine sov thatsaid case guide plates.

is brought into accurate registerlwith'the Inthe subsequent "forward stroke of the moving system the leadingfaces 5 of'the pushers 4 engage the trailing edge of said case and eject'it from the magazine, the case being i moved from theposition shown in chain-dotted lines at A in which it isin register with the magazine to the position shown inv chain-dotted-lines at Bin which the operative faces 81 of the stops 80 are located in close proximity to the trailing slide differentially of the case. At the finish edge ofthe case. In the secondrearward stroke of the. movable system retrograde movement ofthe case is prevented by the stops S0 and the guide plates and wires 43 of said stroke the edges 40 of the case are in engagement withthe lateral edges 39 0f the guide plate and the case is nipped be-. tween said plate 35 and the wires 43, said wires engaging the exterior of the fabric'covering of thecase along the channels 108 intermediate the board covers 109 and board back strip 110. The fabric in the channels 108 is thus depressed by the wires 43 into .the grooves 42 in the guide plate35, the

arrangement thus ensuring intimate engagemeritv between-the edges of the case and the lateral. edges 39 of the guide plate 35, thecase being frictionally attached to said plate. In the second forward stroke of the moving system the case is carried from B to at C in which the board covers 109 are located on the impression beds 92 of the block ng press. The case is moved towards blockthe position indicated in chain-dotted lines mg position when the moving head 3is rising, the impression stamp 97 being, at this stage, slightly clear of the impression beds 92; The case advances until its leading edge is engaged by the stops '98 on the moving head at which point the case is located in blocking position and slight continued forward movement only of the moving system takes place. scends and effects theimpression'after which the moving system commences its thirdrearward stroke. During thisstroke displacement of the case from blocking position is prevented by the arms 104 the forward terminal ends 107 of which engage the trailing edge of the case. In the third forward stroke of the moving system'the case is carried forwardly of the blocking press, the stops. being rocked by the case clear of its path. As soon as the case has passed beyond the stops 100 the latter, being spring-urged,

return to normal position and, when the mov- The moving head 31 now deing system commences its fourth rearward stroke, the stops engage the trailing edge of the case'and eject it from the moving system, where it drops into a receptacle positioned. beyond the blocking press. The position of the case at the moment of its ejection from the moving system is indicated in chain-dotted lines at D.

Although the progressive stages in the transfer from the magazine to the point of ejection from the moving system have been l "b f -1 l 't '11 b oescil st. or a n e case on y, 1 W1 e understood that each forward stroke of the moving system ejects a case from the magazine, the cases being fed step by step towards the blocking press.

I claim p 1. A device for automatically feeding book cases or covers to a blocking press, comprising a magazine, a reciprocatory pusher system adapted to eject said cases one at a time from said magazine and tofeed them step by step towards blocking position, normally stationary stops engageable' with the cases for preventing retrograde movement thereof, and guiding means movable with said pusher system and engageable with the inside edges of the boards at the back of the cases. 7

2. A device for automatically feeding book cases or covers to a blocking press, comprising a reciprocatory pusher system, stationary stops engageable with the cases, guiding means movable with the pusher system and engageable with the cases, and a stretched wire engaging and movable with said guiding means for frictionally holding the cases to said guiding means.

3. A device for automatically feeding book cases or covers to a blocking press, comprismg a reciprocatory pusher system, normally stationary stops engageable with the cases,

guiding means movable with the pusher sys-- tem and engageable wlth the mside edges of the boards at the back of the cases, and stretched wires engaging and movable with said guiding means forfrictionally holding the cases to said guiding means.

4.. A device for automatically feeding book cases or covers to a blocking press, comprising a reciprocatory pusher system, normally' stationary stops engageable with the cases, guides movable with said pusher system and engageable with the inside edges of the boards at the back of the cases, said guides formed with grooves, stretched wires movable with said guides and serving frictionally to hold the cases in engagement with said guides, said wires engaging said grooves and being adapted to grip the cases so as to depress the back linings of the cases into said grooves.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN MURRAY. 

